Propuesta de un modelo gerencial aplicado a proyectos de Infraestructura vial adjudicados por el Instituto de Desarrollo Urbano (IDU), a partir de la metodología PMBOK

Trabajo de investigaciónBasados en la experiencia en la ejecución de contratos de mantenimiento de la infraestructura Vial del Instituto de Desarrollo Urbano (IDU) en la ciudad de Bogotá y en las constantes problemáticas que surgen en las etapas constructivas de los proyectos de mantenimiento. Es necesario buscar alternativas desde el punto de vista de dirección de proyectos para mitigar las circunstancias que no permiten cumplir las expectativas tanto técnicas como económicas de estos proyectos. Enfocados en una correcta planeación, ejecución y control, con el fin de suplir cada una de las necesidades del IDU y de las diferentes tipologías de contratos de mantenimiento ofrecidas por dicha entidad, es por eso que surge la necesidad de generar una herramienta que basada en la experiencia en situaciones atípicas presentadas en la ejecución de proyectos de mantenimiento y en la metodología PMBOK logre mostrar un norte para enfrentarse de una manera coherente a la gerencia de obra en uno de estos contratos.Introducción 1 Generalidades 2 Marcos de referencia 3 Metodología 4 Productos a entregar 5 Descripción de resultados esperados e impacto 6 Desarrollo del proyecto 7 Conclusiones 8 Bibliografía 9 AnexosEspecializaciónEspecialista en Gerencia de Obras Civile

Comparison of Closure Versus Non-Closure of Buccal Mucosal Graft Harvest Site Outcomes in Urethroplasty

Background: Urethroplasty is open surgical reconstruction of urethral stricture disease and it depends on the site of stricture and the used technique either by excision and primary anastomosis, on-lay repair, stricture excision and augmented anastomosis, flap-based repair, and staged repair. Objective: This study aimed to improve postoperative outcomes of the buccal mucosal graft harvest site by comparing closure versus non-closure of the harvest site. Patient and Methods: This prospective comparative study was conducted on 34 patients with urethral stricture planned to be managed by buccal mucosal graft (BMG) urethroplasty. Those 34 patients attended to urology outpatient clinic at Zagazig university hospital from September 2019 to December 2020. Results: Intraoperatively, two patients were found to have short stricture (approximately 1 cm) with dense spongiofibrosis and they were managed by anastomotic urethroplasty. Post-operative pain was maximal on the first day in both groups but it was more significant in the closure group by the second day. Conclusions: Buccal mucosal graft harvesting is well tolerated by all patients. The pain appears to be worse in the immediate postoperative period after suturing the harvest site

Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare the Safety and Efficacy of Tamsulosin, Solifenacin, and Combination of Both in Treatment of Double-J Stent-Related Lower Urinary Symptoms

Purpose. We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of tamsulosin, solifenacin, and combination of both in reducing double-J stent-related lower urinary symptoms. Materials and Methods. A total of 338 patients with double-J ureteral stenting were randomly divided, postoperatively, into 4 groups. In group I (), no treatment was given (control group), group II () received tamsulosin 0.4 mg daily, group III () received solifenacin 10 mg daily, and group IV () received a combination of both medications. Before insertion and 2 weeks after, all patients completed the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life component of the IPSS (IPSS/Qol), Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q), and Visual Analogue Pain Scale (VAPS) questionnaire. Results. The demographics and preoperative questionnaires scores of all groups were comparable. There were statistically significant differences in all scores in favour of groups II, III, and IV as compared to control group ( value < 0.005). Group IV showed statistically significant differences in total IPSS, QoL score, and OAB-q score as compared to groups II and III ( value < 0.001). Conclusions. Combined therapy of tamsulosin and solifenacin significantly alleviated lower urinary symptoms associated with double-J stents as compared to either medication alone

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of Egyptians towards antibiotic use in the community: can we do better?

Background: Infectious diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide. This is concerning because of the increasing capacity of the pathogens to develop antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic overuse and misuse remain the main drivers of resistance development. In the USA and Europe, annual campaigns raise awareness of antibiotic misuse hazards and promote their judicial use. Similar efforts are lacking in Egypt. This study assessed the knowledge of the public in Alexandria, Egypt of antibiotic misuse risks and their habits towards antibiotic use, in addition to conducting a campaign to increase awareness of the safe use of antibiotics. Methods: A questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards antibiotics was used to collect responses from study participants at various sports clubs in Alexandria in 2019. An awareness campaign to correct misconceptions and a post awareness survey followed. Results: Most of the participants were well-educated (85%), in their middle age (51%) and took antibiotics last year (80%). 22% would take an antibiotic for common cold. This dropped to 7% following the awareness. There was a 1.6 time increase in participants who would start an antibiotic on a healthcare professional’s advice following the campaign. A 1.3 time increase in participants who would finish an antibiotic regimen was also observed. The campaign made all participants recognize that unwise antibiotic use is harmful to them or others; and 1.5 more participants would spread the word about antibiotic resistance. Despite learning of the risks of antibiotic use, there was no change in how often participants thought they should take antibiotics. Conclusions: Although awareness of antibiotic resistance is rising, some wrong perceptions hold fast. This highlights the need for patient and healthcare-tailored awareness sessions as part of a structured and national public health program directed to the Egyptian population

Silencing SOCS3 Markedly Deteriorates Spondyloarthritis in Mice Induced by Minicircle DNA Expressing IL23

Objective: Despite extensive studies, the precise mechanism underlying spondyloarthritis, especially ankylosing spondylitis, remains elusive. This study aimed to develop an ideal animal model for an insight into mechanism of spondyloarthritis and functional relevance of SOCS3 in spondyloarthritis.Methods: Since SOCS3 is a major regulator of IL23-STAT3 signaling, we generated SOCS3 knockdown transgenic (TG) mice for development of an animal model of spondyloarthritis. A hydrodynamic delivery method was employed to deliver minicircle DNA expressing IL23 (mc-IL23) into wild-type (WT) and the TG mice. Knockdown/overexpression systems mediated by lentivirus and retrovirus were used to determine whether SOCS3 regulated osteoblast differentiation.Results: Forced expression of IL23 induced severe joint destruction and extensive bone loss in SOCS3 knockdown TG mice, while this treatment only caused moderate symptoms in WT mice. Furthermore, severe spondyloarthritis was found in IL23-injected TG mice as compared to mild disease observed in WT controls under same condition. Moreover, our studies showed that IL23 promoted osteoblast differentiation via activation of STAT3 pathway and disruption of SOCS3 expression greatly increased phosphorylation of STAT3. In addition, silencing SOCS3 resulted in enhanced osteoblast differentiation through activation of Smad1/5/9 signaling, as evidenced by elevated phosphorylation level of Smad1/5/9. Experiments further demonstrated that SOCS3 interacted with Smad1 and thus suppressed the BMP2-Smad signaling.Conclusions: The results reveal that SOCS3 is involved in IL23-induced spondyloarthritis and acts as a key regulator of osteoblast differentiation, and suggest that SOCS3 knockdown TG mice may be an ideal animal model for further studies of spondyloarthritis

Arabidopsis thaliana cells: a model to evaluate the virulence of Pectobacterium carotovorum.

Pectobacterium carotovorum are economically important plant pathogens that cause plant soft rot. These enterobacteria display high diversity world-wide. Their pathogenesis depends on production and secretion of virulence factors such as plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, type III effectors, a necrosis-inducing protein, and a secreted virulence factor from Xanthomonas spp., which are tightly regulated by quorum sensing. Pectobacterium carotovorum also present pathogen-associated molecular patterns that could participate in their pathogenicity. In this study, by using suspension cells of Arabidopsis thaliana, we correlate plant cell death and pectate lyase activities during coinfection with different P. carotovorum strains. When comparing soft rot symptoms induced on potato slices with pectate lyase activities and plant cell death observed during coculture with Arabidopsis thaliana cells, the order of strain virulence was found to be the same. Therefore, Arabidopsis thaliana cells could be an alternative tool to evaluate rapidly and efficiently the virulence of different P. carotovorum strains

Noninvasive ventilation in COVID-19 patients aged ≥ 70 years—a prospective multicentre cohort study

Funding Information: COVIP study did not have any funding. Publication of this article was funded by the Priority Research Area qLife under the program “Excellence Initiative – Research University” at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (06/IDUB/2019/94). Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Background: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a promising alternative to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) with a particular importance amidst the shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the use of NIV in Europe and factors associated with outcomes of patients treated with NIV. Methods: This is a substudy of COVIP study—an international prospective observational study enrolling patients aged ≥ 70 years with confirmed COVID-19 treated in ICU. We enrolled patients in 156 ICUs across 15 European countries between March 2020 and April 2021.The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Results: Cohort included 3074 patients, most of whom were male (2197/3074, 71.4%) at the mean age of 75.7 years (SD 4.6). NIV frequency was 25.7% and varied from 1.1 to 62.0% between participating countries. Primary NIV failure, defined as need for endotracheal intubation or death within 30 days since ICU admission, occurred in 470/629 (74.7%) of patients. Factors associated with increased NIV failure risk were higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (OR 3.73, 95% CI 2.36–5.90) and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) on admission (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.06–2.00). Patients initially treated with NIV (n = 630) lived for 1.36 fewer days (95% CI − 2.27 to − 0.46 days) compared to primary IMV group (n = 1876). Conclusions: Frequency of NIV use varies across European countries. Higher severity of illness and more severe frailty were associated with a risk of NIV failure among critically ill older adults with COVID-19. Primary IMV was associated with better outcomes than primary NIV. Clinical Trial RegistrationNCT04321265, registered 19 March 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov.publishersversionpublishe

Surveillance de l'infestation des céréales par la mouche noire (Phorbia securis Tiensu ; Diptera, Anthomyiidae)

A survey of the infestation of cereals by the black fly, Phorbia securis has been reported in Chaouia, Doullala and Abda (Morocco). Its distribution in these different regions is shown in the map. One hundred and seventy seven fields were examined and the black fly was present in all of them. Its number was sufficiently high to be likely to cause a serious damage. The cereals were more attacked in Abda. The larvae attack only ont tiller per plant. The young tillers (14 to 20 cm) were more sensible to the attack.Une surveillance de l’infestation des céréales cultivées par la mouche noire Phorbia securis a eu lieu dans la Chaouia, Doukkala et Abda. Sa distribution dans ces différentes régions est montrée sur la carte. Cent soixante dix sept champs sont examinés et la mouche noire y est présente. Dans 36 champs (20 % des champs infestés), elle a atteint un nombre assez élevé pour être à l’origine de dommage grave. Les céréales sont beaucoup plus attaquées dans la région d’Abda que dans les deux autres régions. La larve n’attaque en général qu’une seule tige par plante. Les tiges de différentes longueurs (de différents âges) ont une susceptibilité d’attaque variable ; celles de 14 à 20 cm de long étant les plus sensibles à l’attaque.Maarouf Abdelkader, Chemseddine Mohamed. Surveillance de l'infestation des céréales par la mouche noire (Phorbia securis Tiensu ; Diptera, Anthomyiidae). In: Ecologia mediterranea, tome 21 n°3-4, 1995. pp. 93-99